Winning the in-state recruiting battle for 2025 is key for Ole Miss Football

The state of Mississippi has a bunch of talented recruits from the 2025 class. Lane Kiffin will be looking to land commitments from a high percentage of them.

Recruiting the 2025 class has already started to kick into 3rd gear, with Lane Kiffin landing two talented players from out of state. It's always good to win those battles. However, a team like Ole Miss need to be ruthless in-state.

The state of Mississippi is stacked with talented football recruits in 2025. Ole Miss has already taken steps in securing some of the players, though no letters of intent have been signed. The Rebels hold advantages over six of the top ten recruits from the state of Mississippi. However, if Lane Kiffin and the staff take their eyes off the ball, they may lose ground.

One player that the Rebels are honing in on is running back Akylin Dear, rated a four-star player and ranked number three in the State of Mississippi. Another four-star player with the Rebels holding the lead in recruiting is Andrew Maddox, the younger brother of 2024 QB recruit Anthony.

In the 2025 class, there is a five-star player in wide receiver Caleb Cunningham. As it stands, Mississippi State holds the advantage, with the Rebels still having a chance. The second-ranked Mississippi player is quarterback Deuce Knight, who has committed to Notre Dame.

Looking back at the win percentage of the top ten recruits out of the state of Mississippi since Lane Kiffin took the head coach role, it's interesting reading. The last two seasons have seen the Rebels double their 4-star commits from in-state.

Ole Miss has secured nine of the 4-star recruits from the 2023 and 2024 recruiting classes combined. Compare that to just five from 18 of the 2022 and 2021 recruiting classes combined.

The last two seasons of success under Lane Kiffin have seen an uptake in Mississippi recruits committing to the Rebels. Despite the factor of NIL in recruiting, a high percentage of layers still want to go to a school that can win. This is something Ole Miss Football offers under Lane Kiffin.

Ole Miss looks to keep the momentum in keeping the top recruits at Ole Miss. On top of fighting off the top teams from out of state, they have a new hungry team in state to deal with. Rivals Mississippi State have a new head coach with a new appetite for success.